1. Overview of Important Changes to the Final Rule
45 CFR 46

2. Transition Dates
January 19, 2017 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the Final Rule January 19, 2018 Effective date for all changes (except cooperative research) January 20, 2020 Effective date for cooperative research

3. Transition provisions
Research Study Initiation Date
Standards
Research initially approved by an IRB,
waived pursuant to [former subsection]
101(i), or determined to be exempt [under former subsection 101(b)] before January 19, 2018
These studies are by default subject to the pre-2018 rule (the Common Rule as published in the 2016 edition of the CFR).
However, an organization engaged in such research may choose to comply with the Final Rule (2018 requirements) for such a study (the grandfathered
research) if the organization applies the Final Rule to the study and an IRB documents this determination.
Further guidance is pending to determine if the IRB must document this per study even if the institution issues an institutional policy applying the Final Rule to all research.
101(i), or determined to be exempt on or after January 19, 2018
These studies are subject to the Final Rule (2018 requirements).

4. Updates to Definitions- New and Revised Terms
New Terms Added:
Clinical Trial
Public Health Authority (also includes tribal law)
Written or in Writing (includes electronic format)
Revised Existing Terms:
Vulnerable (pregnant women and “handicapped” removed; replaces “mentally disabled” with “individuals with impaired decision-making capacity”)
Human Subject (includes biospecimens)
Research (defines what’s NOT research: certain journalistic, public health, surveillance, and criminal justice or intelligence activities)
Legally Authorized Representative (LAR)

5. Updates to Informed Consent Process and Document
The changes are meant to facilitate subjects’ understanding of the reasons to participate (or not) in the research.
Requires that key information essential to decision making receive priority by:
- Being presented first in the consent discussion;
- Appearing at the beginning of the consent document
Prospective subject (or LAR) must be provided with the information that a reasonable person would want to have to make an informed decision about whether to participate, and be given an opportunity to discuss that information.
Broad consent may be obtained in lieu of informed consent obtained only for storage, maintenance, and secondary research uses of private information and identifiable biospecimens.

6. Updates to Exempt Categories- Limited IRB Review
The Final Rule establishes new exempt categories of research. Under some of the new categories, exempt research would be required to undergo limited IRB review. Limited IRB review is needed in four of the eight exempt categories.
In two of the categories, limited IRB review is required to ensure there are adequate confidentiality and privacy safeguards.
In the other two categories, limited IRB review is required for broad consent in studies involving identifiable private information or identifiable biospecimens.

7. 45 CFR 46.104, New Exemption Category 3
Benign behavioral interventions (Category 3)
Only for behavioral research, not biomedical research.
Children are specifically excluded.
“benign behavioral interventions” defined as “brief in duration, harmless, painless, not physically invasive, not likely to have an impact on the subjects, and the investigator has no reason to think the subjects will find the interventions offensive or embarrassing.”
Allows for collection of potentially sensitive or harmful identifiable private information from adults if an IRB conducts a “limited IRB review.”
The new “limited IRB review” is intended to ensure that there are adequate privacy safeguards for identifiable private information and identifiable biospecimens.

8. New Exemption – Categories 7 and 8
Storage or maintenance for secondary research for which broad consent is required (Category 7)
Covers activities that involve storage or maintenance for secondary research use of private information or identifiable biospecimens
Limited IRB review required to ensure that there are adequate privacy safeguards for identifiable private information and identifiable biospecimens
Secondary research for which broad consent is required (Category 8)
Covers research that involves the use of private information or identifiable biospecimens that have been stored or maintained for research use

9. Changes to Other Exempt Categories
Category 1 includes an added clause for educational research, “practices that are not likely to adversely impact students’ opportunity to learn required educational content or the assessment of educators who provide instruction”
Category 2 allows for collection of potentially sensitive or harmful identifiable private information from adults if an IRB conducts a “limited IRB review”
Category 4 expands secondary research and no longer requires that the secondary data be existing at the time of the IRB submission

10. Can Research Regulated by the Subparts be Exempt?
Subpart B – Additional protections for Pregnant Women, Human Fetuses, and Neonates Involved in Research
Yes, all exemption categories apply
Subpart C - Additional Protections Pertaining to Biomedical & Behavioral Research Involving Prisoners as Subjects
Only for research aimed at involving a broader subject population that only incidentally includes prisoners
Subpart D – Additional Protections for Children Involved as Subjects in Research
Yes, for exemptions at paragraphs (d)(1),(4),(5),(6),(7), and (8)
Only for research involving educational tests or the observation of public behavior when the investigator(s) do not participate in the activities being observed for paragraphs (d)(2)(i) and (ii)
No, for exemption at paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section

11. Updates to Expedited Review Process
Elimination of Continuing Review for Some Research
The Final Rule removes the requirement to conduct continuing review of ongoing research for studies that undergo expedited review and for studies that have completed study interventions and are merely analyzing study data or involve only observational follow up in conjunction with standard clinical care. For the upcoming year, Ohio University will continue to require periodic reviews for expedited studies.
Limited IRB review has no continuing review requirement.
Secretary of HHS will evaluate the list of categories of research that may be reviewed by the IRB through an expedited procedure at least every 8 years.

12. Multi-Site Research Using Cooperative Review and Single IRB (sIRB) Review
The Final Rule creates a new requirement for U.S. institutions engaged in multi-site (more than one) cooperative research to use a sIRB for that portion of the research that takes place within the U.S., with certain exceptions.
This requirement becomes effective three years after publication (20 January 2020).
Note: For studies that must comply with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy on sIRB review, the effective date is 25 January 2018 (with certain exceptions).

13. Much of the content for this presentation taken from the handout, “Overview of Important Changes to the Final Rule,” made available to help the research community understand the revisions to the Common Rule. This handout, and others were developed with the assistance of expert authors and peer reviewers and are available by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) at Ohio University is a subscriber of the CITI program.